


A Whisper Away From Changing Everything

by giantpanda



Series: What if... [12]
Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26645386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giantpanda/pseuds/giantpanda
Summary: What if Claire thought about transferring after she realized she was in love with Neil?
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Series: What if... [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799092
Comments: 38
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter One

It had been two weeks since Claire came to the realization that she had fallen in love with Neil. She had ended things with Dash, both agreeing that they were better off as friends. She had been spending more time discussing with her therapist what she should do about her feelings for her boss. She thought Claire should tell him. Claire thought it would be easier to ignore them or run away from them. She knew that while Neil cared about her, he only cared as a friend and mentor, just as she had asked him to.

She had tried to distance herself from him the past few weeks as she dealt with her feelings. It didn’t help. Now she loved him and missed him. She hadn’t realized just how much time she had spent with him until she stopped it. She took extra shifts at the clinic and extra sessions with her therapist so that when he asked her if she wanted to do something, she had a legitimate excuse. She always felt that there was a level of honesty between the two of them that she never really had with anyone before. Avoiding him left a bitter taste in her mouth, even if technically she wasn’t lying.

She knew that something needed to change. She had started to do research on other nearby hospitals to see if she could transfer and finish her residency elsewhere. She had told Neil that there was no reason to worry about them developing a friendship, and she was the one who ended up falling for him. It wouldn’t be fair for her to continue with the way things were. By not telling him her feelings, she felt as if she was being dishonest. Yet, she felt that telling would make it worse. Maybe if she left the hospital there would be a chance that she could salvage their friendship.

Claire knew that if she was going to transfer that she needed to start making phone calls. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She needed to talk to Neil about it. He had been her mentor before he was her friend, and she needed his guidance. She had been going around in circles all day, needing his advice and being afraid to ask him for it. She didn’t know what to tell him when he asked her why she wanted to leave.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up her phone and texted him asking if he could stop by. His response was immediate and said he could be there in half an hour. She almost told him never mind, but she knew she couldn’t make this change without him. She knew it was crazy that she needed to leave because of him but couldn’t make a choice without him. She straightened up around the apartment to distract herself from her thoughts as she waited for him.

She startled when she heard him knock at the door. She went over and let him in. He had been to her apartment a few times before for dinner and a movie night. As he walked in and took his shoes off, she realized just how much she had missed him the last few weeks. They both settled on the sofa.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. “I feel like I haven’t seen you much lately.”

“Everything’s fine,” she said. “I just need your advice.”

He leaned back on the sofa with a smile. “Whatever you need.”

She picked up the print outs from the other hospitals and handed them to him. She needed to ask him quickly before she lost her nerve. “Which would you recommend?”

“For who?” he asked obviously confused.

“For me,” she said softly.

He sat up and placed the papers back on the coffee table. “Why?” he asked. 

“Can you not ask me that?” 

“Claire,” he reached out and took her hand. “Did something happen?” He let go of her hand and sat back, putting more space between them. “Did I do something to upset you?”

She wanted to lie to him, to continue to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself, but she couldn’t, not when he looked upset. She just didn’t know where to begin. She couldn’t just blurt out that she was in love with him. She stood up to put some distance between them as she gathered her thoughts. She felt his eyes on her.

“Claire,” he tried again, “Talk to me.”

“Ever since I was a child,” she began, “I’ve gotten used to doing things on my own. I could never rely on Mom, and after she died, I kept trying to keep it all to myself, trying to deal with it all.” She looked up at him and knew this next part could ruin everything between them. “And then you were there. You helped through so much, and you became my best friend.”

“You’re mine too,” he admitted. “I don’t understand what this has to do with you wanting to leave.”

“You tried to walk away, and I told you it wouldn’t have to be weird, that we were just friends.” She took a shaky breath. “I’m about to make it weird.” She turned away from him because she didn’t want to see his face. “You’ve been trying to be the friend and mentor that I asked you to be, and I’ve messed everything up because that’s not all I feel anymore. I have very non-platonic feelings for you.”

She heard him stand from the couch and move towards her. She refused to turn around.

“I thought it would be best that I left,” she continued, “I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

She felt his hand against her shoulder as her eyes filled with tears.

“Hey,” he said softly, “Look at me.”

She closed her eyes for a minute to get herself together before she turned to look at him. She was taken aback by the warmth in his expression. She thought for sure he would be trying to find a way to leave as quickly as possible.

“Is that why you’ve been so busy lately?”

She nodded. “I thought it would be easier if I wasn’t around you.”

“Was it?” he asked.

“No,” she answered honestly.

He shook his head with a sigh. “It’s my turn to be honest with you.”

“Okay.” She wondered what he would tell her.

“I thought you realized that I had feelings for you and that I had made you uncomfortable.”

“What?” she asked, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly.

“I told you that you make me a better person, and you ran off. You started having more work to do and I thought you were trying to put some distance between us.”

“That was the night I realized that I care about you more than just a friend.” She wasn’t ready to tell him that she loved him.

“You scared me, with the talk of leaving the hospital. I thought I had done something to hurt you.” He reached up and gently wiped away a tear. “I haven’t had platonic feelings for you for a long time.”

In all the conversations she had with her therapist, all the nights she laid awake thinking about him, it had never once crossed her mind that he felt the same way. At a loss for what to say, Claire stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist holding him tightly. As she rested her head against his chest, she felt his arms go around her pulling her closer. His lips brushed against the top of her head. She pushed away everything else but the safety and comfort she felt in his embrace.

After a few minutes, she stepped back and looked up at him. She wasn’t sure if she had just been blind to it before, or if he was even better than she was at masking his feelings, but the affection she saw in his expression left little doubt to how he felt.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked softly.

“Probably for the same reason you didn’t.”

She shook her head. “Idiots.”

He reached out to brush a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her face. “I don’t mind.”

She knew that they needed to talk about what this meant for them, what it meant for work at the hospital. If they were going to be able to try to take the feelings they had for each other into the relationship she wanted them to have.

Neil broke the silence, asking, “What are you thinking?”

“That I really want to kiss you,” she admitted.

“I’m flattered,” he said, the familiar cocky grin appearing.

“Never mind,” she said, rolling her eyes. “The moment passed.”

“I hope not,” he said, stepping towards her.

She held her breath as he closed the distance between them. He gently kissed her, and it was more than she had ever imagined. She drew her arms around his neck to bring him closer as she deepened the kiss. She felt like she was on fire from his touch. If a simple kiss felt like this, she knew she was in trouble with him. They broke apart to catch their breath.

“I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to do that,” he said, bringing his hand up to caress her face.

“Me too,” she smiled against his lips as she kissed him again.

They stood there for a few more minutes as they gave into the feelings they had both been hiding from each other. Eventually Claire, took his hand and lead him back to the sofa. They sat down much closer to each other than they had when he first arrived. He kept her hand in his, gently running his fingers against the back of her hand.

She leaned forward and picked up the papers she had shown him earlier. “Maybe it’s a good thing I started looking at these.”

He made a face as he took them from her. “I’m probably not the right person to talk to about this.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her towards him. “As your attending, no other hospital deserves your talent.” He pressed another kiss against her head. “And as your,” he hesitated, “As your non-platonic friend, I don’t want you to go.”

She fought a smile at how he stumbled over what to call them. Not that she could blame him, they had barely talked about anything more than the fact that both of them had been hiding the fact that they wanted more. She turned to snuggle closer to him as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

“But it would make things easier.”

“Would it make you happy?” he asked, his fingers playing with her hair.

She thought about the friendships she had developed and all she had learned at the hospital. She wanted them to have a chance to have a real relationship, but she wasn’t ready to give up on what she had built at the hospital.

“No,” she answered softly. “I’d hate to have to start somewhere new.”

“Okay. Then we figure something else out.” He pulled her closer, his hand resting against her hip. “I could go someone where.” She shook her head against his chest earning her a laugh. “Or we talk to the others and take a trip to HR.”

She sighed. She knew that was the best option if they were going to try for a relationship. She didn’t want them to hide it as if what they were doing was wrong. She also knew that if they were caught, the consequences would be more severe. She also hated the idea that they would have to go through the invasive process of everyone knowing their business. She was glad that Neil didn’t offer a suggestion where they tried to go back to the way things where before. Now that she had been in his arms and knew what it felt like to kiss him, there was no way she could return to being just his friend.

“We’re going to have to tell them.” She sat up so she could look at him. “But we don’t have to worry about that tonight.”

“And what did you have in mind for tonight?”

She swung her leg over his lap, so she was straddling him. His hands fell against her waist holding her steady. As she looked into his eyes, she wondered how she ever thought this would turn out differently. She leaned forward to kiss him when the familiar ringtone he had set up for the hospital started ringing.

He rested his head against her shoulder as he cursed softly. She slid off his lap as he answered the phone. 

“Hello,” he answered. She watched as the annoyance from their interruption changed to concern. Unable to hear the person on the other end, she was only able to hear that he was needed to go back to the hospital. He made eye contact with her. “No need to call Dr. Browne, I’ll let her know she needs to come in. I’ll be there soon.” 

They both stood up and went to get ready to leave. “What happened?” she asked.

“There was a building collapse at an opening of a new brewery. They need all hands-on deck.” He slipped his hand into hers as they walked out the door. “Audrey wants you to join the team that’s going on site.”

She took a deep breath. They had been lucky lately at the hospital that they had not had an incident like this before. While all the residents were trained, this would be the first time they had to use it.

“Should we drive separately?” she asked as they walked to the parking lot.

He squeezed her hand. “In the middle of a disaster no one is going to notice we arrived together.”

“If you say so,” she said, hoping that he would be right.

“If I’m wrong, you get to pick our first date,” he said as he opened the door for her.

“Deal.”

Even though they were heading into an unknown disaster at the hospital, Claire couldn’t help but smile as she thought about the way the night had already changed things for the better.


	2. Chapter Two

The drive to the hospital had been quiet as they thought about the change in their relationship and the tragedy that awaited them at the hospital. Neil tried to keep his mind on what they would find when they got there. Instead, he found his thoughts and his gaze kept traveling back to Claire. He had never expected when she had reached out to him that they would end up admitting their feelings to each other. He had thought that he had been too open with his feelings, and that he had driven her away. When she had shown him the list of hospitals to transfer to, he felt his heart break. At first, he had feared that someone had happened like when Dr. Coyle had tried to take advantage of her, then the thought crossed his mind that he had overstepped their boundaries. The last thing he would ever want to do would be to make her uncomfortable.

When she admitted that she was thinking of leaving because of her feelings for him, he had been shocked. He hadn’t felt as if he had hidden how much he cared about her very well and didn’t realize that she hadn’t known. Although, considering he hadn’t realized how she felt, maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised. He thought of how it felt to hold her and kiss her. There was no way they would be able to go back to the way things were before.

He glanced over at her as he pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. He hated that their evening had been cut short, but maybe it was for the best. They needed to proceed carefully with their next steps to make the transition easier. He wasn’t naive enough to think that there wouldn’t be consequences. He was still her boss, but he knew that they had something special and it was worth any fight. Knowing that she felt the same way was all he needed to know. They would find a way to make it work.

They quickly made their way to the ER where they found Audrey. Audrey would take Claire with her for onsite support, while he was to stay at the ER to be ready for surgeries or anything else, he was needed for. As he watched, Claire leave with Audrey, he wished that he had gotten a chance to talk to her one more time. He knew she was more than capable of handling herself, that didn’t mean that he didn’t worry.

Neil lost track of time as he worked non-stop on the victims that they brought in from the collapse. If he wasn’t in surgery, then he was in the ER stitching up injuries and ordering tests. He wondered more than once just how big the brewery had been with so many people injured. Just as the exhaustion started to settle in his body, he realized that the steady trickle of patients was slowing down. He continued to push through to help a few more people.

He hadn’t seen Claire since she had left with Audrey. It was hard to believe that the conversation he had with Claire had just been a few hours earlier. It felt as if days had passed. Eventually, another surgeon came to relieve him, and he made his way to the lounge, hoping to find the others.

As he sank down into one of the chairs, he realized just how exhausted he really was. If he wasn’t waiting to see Claire, he would probably either head home or find a place for a quick nap. He glanced over as the door opened, to see Audrey walking in.

“You look as bad as I feel,” he said as she came and sat down.

“I don’t know if I need sleep or a bottle of whiskey.” She shook her head. “It was a nightmare out there.”

“I’m sorry. Based on the injuries I saw, I can only imagine. Do they know what happened?”

She shook her head. “It looked to me like the whole building just collapsed, but the investigation is ongoing.” She yawned. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What?” he asked.

“Claire.”

“What about her?”

He didn’t think that Audrey would be able to tell that things had changed between the two of them. They had barely gotten a chance to discuss what they wanted to do before they had been called into the hospital.

“I was very impressed with the way she handled herself tonight. She didn’t hesitate and followed her instincts, which are excellent skills for a trauma surgeon.” She leaned forward. “We had to perform surgery on site, and I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to complete it without a blood transfusion. Claire turned a beer engine into a cell saver. It was incredible.”

“Spend enough time with her and you’ll get used to incredible,” he said, his pride shining though. He wished that he had been there to see it.

“That’s actually what I was thinking of. Has Claire expressed what specialty she wants?”

“She hasn’t talked about it, why?”

“I think she would do really well in trauma. I was going to talk to her about it tonight to get her thoughts and see how she felt about working more often with me.” She looked at him closely. “It seems like a win for everyone.”

“What do you mean?”

“I get to bring a talented surgeon onto the trauma team and you and Claire can stop pretending that there isn’t something between the two of you.”

He sighed, he didn’t want to lie to Audrey, but he also didn’t want to have a conversation with her without Claire there as well. 

“I’m too tired to argue about this with you.”

“Then don’t argue and just tell me I’m right.”

He couldn’t deny that having Claire decide on a trauma specialty would make things easier for them. He would no longer be her direct boss, and it would make it easier to deal with the gossip and accusations of preferential treatment. However, he wasn’t sure if that was her dream.

“I’m not answering for Claire.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to.” He noticed a hint of a smile. “There is one more thing.”

He rolled his eyes, “What?”

“Next time you want to keep things hidden, don’t offer to be the one to call Claire in and then arrive at the hospital together.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said shaking his head. He hoped she didn’t say anything to Claire because she would enjoy being right way too much.

“Seriously, though, how long has this been going on?”

“Are you asking as a friend or as my boss?”

“Friend. As your boss, we stopped talking after I told you my plan to talk to Claire about trauma.”

“About twenty minutes before you called us into the hospital.”

“Really?” she asked in disbelief. “I would’ve guessed weeks ago.”

“Don’t tell her I told you,” he said. “That’s what we were discussing when you called.”

“You and I are getting drinks one night.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe you.” 

“What? You seem more upset that we weren’t together then.”

“Neil, the whole hospital can see that you two wanted to be.”

“I don’t believe that.”

They looked up as Claire walked into the room. Her exhaustion clear in her eyes. He knew that Audrey wanted to talk with her but hoped she would change her mind and let them all get some rest.

“Claire,” Audrey said, “I was hoping to talk to you before you left.”

She glanced between the two of them. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Audrey answered. “Neil was just going to his office.”

He rolled his eyes as he stood up. “I was here first,” he said.

“Your office is right there,” she said. “I don’t have the energy to go to mine.”

He saw the uncertainty in Claire’s eyes as he walked past her. He wished that he could say something to calm her nerves. Instead, he walked over to his office, wishing that he could hear their conversation. At least, when they were done Claire and him could go home.


	3. Chapter Three

Claire was exhausted after the long night of working on site at the brewery. She had hoped that she would find Neil and they would be able to go home. She knew they should continue their conversation from earlier, but really all she wanted to do was go to sleep. She hoped he’d stay with her. After all the destruction and loss, she had seen, she wanted him close by.

Instead, she took a seat at the table to talk to Dr. Lim as Neil went into his office and closed the door. She wished that she could see him to see if he could give her any idea on what was going on. She folded her hands on top the table as she fought back a yawn.

“I won’t keep you long,” Dr. Lim said, her own exhaustion evident. “I just wanted to share an idea I had with you, and I want to give you plenty of time to think about it.”

“Is everything okay?”

She nodded. “What made you think of using the beer engine tonight?”

Claire shrugged. “I’ve worked at bars before and I knew how they worked. I thought we would be able to use that to our advantage.” She bit her lip. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Not at all. I was impressed.” Dr. Lim glanced towards Neil’s office. “I think he’s upset he missed it.”

Claire looked down to hide her smile. Neil always pushed for them to think outside the box and that was what she had done.

“Have you thought about specializing in trauma?” she continued.

Honestly, Claire had not thought about what she wanted to specialize in. There were times when she thought she wanted to follow Neil into cardiothoracics and other times she thought about trauma. She had been working hard on getting herself back together after losing her mother that she hadn’t focused too much on what she wanted to do.

“It’s on my list to consider.”

“I think you would be an excellent addition to the trauma team,” Audrey said. “You handled yourself well under pressure, you were innovative with your ideas, and you still maintained your typical high level of patient care.”

Claire felt her face flush from the unexpected praise. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“You would also work more with me as your attending,” she continued. “Which would have the added benefit of separating you and Neil if you wanted to explore something more personal.”

She had to force herself not to turn around and look at Neil. She wondered if he had said something to share about the change in their relationship.

“Nothing inappropriate has happened,” she argued. She didn’t want to deny her feelings for him, but she also didn’t want to have that conversation when they hadn’t figured everything out themselves. She also didn’t want to have it with his ex-girlfriend.

“Claire,” Audrey sighed. “Please don’t lie to me. If you decide that you want to work with me, I’m going to need you to be honest, even when it’s difficult.”

“It’s a little awkward to talk about with you,” she admitted.

“It doesn’t have to be. Neil and I have been over for a long time and I want him to be happy.” She leaned back in her chair. “And I think despite the complications, that you will make him happy. Am I wrong?”

She hesitated before answering, “No, you’re not.”

“I told him weeks ago he had a problem.”

“Really?”

“You two are both idiots,” Audrey said shaking her head. “And even knowing that, I still want you on our team. After watching you today, I think we will work well together.”

“I think we could too,” she agreed.

“I don’t expect an answer tonight. We’re both exhausted and I want you to take some time to think about what you want. This needs to be about what you want for your future and your career. I don’t want you to choose trauma just because it might make things easier for you and Neil.”

“I’ll think about it,” Claire said. “I really appreciate the opportunity.”

“It’s mostly selfish,” Audrey admitted. “I want you for my team. I’ve always known you were a gifted surgeon, but today I saw just how much you can do.” 

“Thank you.”

Audrey stood up and stretched. “Get some rest tonight. We’ll talk later.”

“You too. Have a goodnight.”

Claire sat for a moment as she watched Dr. Lim leave the lounge. She hadn’t been expecting an offer to start working with her now before they officially declared their specialties. She needed to think about what she wanted to do and what she wanted to focus on for her career. While working with Dr. Lim would limit the amount of time she spent with Neil, she wanted to make sure that she was following the right path. 

With a sigh, she stood up and went to Neil’s office. He looked up as she entered. Even though the exhaustion, she felt the usual comfort being in his presence.

“All done?” he asked.

She nodded. “Did you know what she wanted to talk about?”

“She mentioned it before you came in. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not yet,” she answered honestly. “I just want us to go home.”

She paused once she realized she had just referred to her place as home. They had barely decided that they wanted a relationship and she was already inviting him to come home with her. 

“I mean,” she tried to backtrack. “You can drop me off if you want to go back to your place.”

He fought a grin. “Can I sleep if I come to yours?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’m good wherever you are.”

“Good,” she said softly, not wanting to be away from him.

“Let’s go home,” he said as he stood and grabbed his things. “I want to hear all about this beer engine.”

She fought the urge to take his hand as they left his office. As they walked to his car, she felt a feeling of peace settle over her despite the craziness of the day.


	4. Chapter Four

After sharing about the beer engine, Neil wanted to ask Claire more about what happened onsite at the brewery. However, when he glanced over at her he noticed that her eyes were already closed. He had seen her in all kinds of situations when she had been exhausted at the hospital, but this felt different as she was in his car asleep. He stopped at a nearby bakery on the way to her apartment, to get them something to eat before they crashed for a few hours.

As he pulled up in front of her apartment, he reached out and gently shook her awake.

“Claire,” he said softly. “We’re home.”

She groaned. “Just let me stay here and sleep.”

He laughed. “If you stay here you won’t get a muffin.”

She turned and looked at him. “When did you stop for food?”

“You were asleep.”

She slowly undid her seatbelt as they both climbed out of the car. “You didn’t ask me what I wanted. How do I know you picked the right thing?”

“I think I’ve spent enough time with you to know what you like.”

“We’ll see,” she said with a grin.

She unlocked the door and they both dropped their things by the door. Claire looked from the sofa to the kitchen.

“We’re eating here,” she announced as she sank down onto the sofa.

“Sure, you won’t fall back asleep?”

“It’s a chance you’re going to have to take,” she answered with a yawn. “I want to see if you picked right.”

He sat down beside her and handed her a couple napkins before reaching into the bag to pull out her muffin.

“We’ll get real food later, but here you go.”

He handed her a chocolate chip muffin and watched as her face lit up with a smile.

“How’d you know?”

He pulled out his own muffin and broke off a piece. “You usually go for coffee cake in the morning, but I know after a rough day you want chocolate.”

“I never should have doubted you,” she said taking a bit. “This is delicious.”

“Good,” he said with a smile. “How was your conversation with Audrey?”

“She thinks I should think about focusing on being a trauma surgeon. I’d work more with her.” She sighed. “She mentioned that she thought it would good for us too. How does she even know?”

“I think the only people we hid it from was each other.”

“We did do a pretty good job at that,” she said. “She wants me to think about what I want to do.”

“You know you’re going to be amazing no matter what you end up choosing. You’re a gifted surgeon who goes out of their way to support your patients. Any of us would be luck to have you on our team.” She gave him another smile that took his breath away. “Don’t act like I’ve never told you this before. I’ve always known that you’re special.”

“Maybe I just like hearing you say it.”

“See if I say it again,” he said nudging her with his elbow. “It has to be what you want to do.”

She yawned. “Right now, all I can think about is sleep.”

She dropped her napkin on the coffee table and stood up. She reached out and took his hand pulling him to his feet. He had thought about asking her if she wanted him to sleep on the couch but was grateful that she pulled him towards her bedroom.

The both moved around each other as they got ready for bed. She gave him an extra toothbrush. She changed into her pajamas and he stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers. They climbed into bed and laid on their sides looking at each other. It was hard to believe that it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since they had admitted that they wanted to be more than friends.

He thought about all the times he had allowed himself to dream about this. How often he wanted to have her beside him, but never thought it was possible. He felt as if everything he wanted for his future was in his grasp. He reached out and gently caressed her face.

“What do you think I should do?” she asked sleepily.

“I can’t tell you what to do.” He reached down to take her hand in his. “I don’t want to influence your decision and for you to have any regrets.”

“You can still have an opinion.”

He knew she was right. Part of him had always thought she would join him, but Audrey was right, she was also talented in a crisis. She would be amazing in either field. But he needed for her to be the one to decide what she wanted.

“Close your eyes,” he said softly. “Think about where you see yourself in five years. Would being a trauma surgeon be what you wanted?”

He watched as she closed her eyes. The light from the moon played across her face and he was once again taken by her beauty. She didn’t move or say anything, and he thought that she might have fallen asleep. Just when he was about to close his eyes himself, he saw a small smile on her face. He wished he could see what was bringing her such joy. She opened her eyes and the smile remained.

“Did it help?”

“No,” she answered, still smiling at him.

He couldn’t help but smile back. “Then why are you smiling?”

“Because when I think about what I want in five years and beyond, you’re there next to me.”

He felt a burst of warmth in his chest. She might not have decided about what she wanted to do at work, but he knew they were on the same page about their future together. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

“Good because I have no plans to go anywhere else.”

She settled against his chest, her arm around his waist. The exhaustion for the day weighed down on them and he knew they would soon be asleep.

“Get some rest,” he said softly.

“You too.”

As they drifted off to sleep, Neil knew that no matter what happened, they would be able to make it through together. It amazed him how quickly everything changed. He couldn’t wait to begin their life together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoyed it!!


End file.
